PALM CITY FARMS:
ONE OF THE MANY PRE LAND BOOM OF THE 1920's LAND SCAM Subdivisions
About 13 1/2 square miles of Florida swamp in Palm Beach County was subdivided in 1916 into 10 acre parcels. Land owned by the Company closer to the River was also subdivided but into small lots. The sales deal was buy 10 acres in the Farms and get a free lot in town. All lots were sold by January 1, 1925 mostly to families who had visited the area to enjoy the winter weather and the ocean. Tours were made by horse drawn wagons and later by one of the first autos in what became Martin County in 1925. Because the land was swamp a drainage district was formed by the Company in 1919 and drainage ditches were constructed along some of the platted and dedicated roadways as well as across many of the parcels. The hurricane of 1928 filled many of the ditches and destroyed most of the sand roadways. The plat of the land is unique in several ways. It dedicated the roadways to the public but with a lengthy saved and reserved clause. This clause appears to be a part of the plan for the drainage district. The mandated life of the drainage district would have ended Halloween 1969. Before that date the sole surviving trustee of the Company filed a series of recorded Deeds and Releases that purport to release the Company rights to the underlying landowners with easements to all other owners. Much research has been done and we are now ready to proceed to regain our right to use the platted unopened right of ways in addition to the open roads.
1. Many of the miles of roadways are unpaved though each year more are paved by the landowners. These provide access to homes as well as part of the Trail system. There are about 70 miles of these designated roadways that are unfit for vehicular traffic but make excellent hiking, mountain bicycling, or horse back riding Trails.
Trail Asssociation Efforts
2. Of the many miles of roadways not made into roads some have always been used as Trails but some were fenced off and taken into the abutting landowners holdings. We have been working to get these back into service as Trails.
We have developed a Passport Map that will be e-mailed to you as a new member. 
Examples of many of our trails are shown here.
Busch St: A 1 mile connector for Busch to SW 84th Ave.
SW 66th Ave. between SW 33rd St. and Gator Trail, Ignore the "Utility Access Only" sign. A disgruntled attempt. This trail was regained as private rights after the abutting owners of the south half of the quarter mile got the County to approve an abandonment of the public rights. The law suit and the mediated agreement are recorded and can be read by looking up OR  Book 02415 Page 1107-1110 4 pages. Use the links for the Martin County Public Records
SW 72 Ave. to SW Moore
Crossing the Ditch at SW 72 Ave. and SW 33rd St. .
A portion of SW 42 St between Leighton Farms Rd. and SW 42nd Ave. was abandoned by the county. Before the Board of County Commissioners approved the Resolution an intervention to save the public trail resulted in a new easement being approved by the parties seeking the abandonment. There is now a trail that (though it needs some work to be easily used) extends from SW 42 Ave to Leighton Farms Rd. The first picture is from Leighton Farms Rd. The trail is the ditch bank. The second shows the abandoned portion. The third shows the trail from the SW 42 Ave. end. See the plat pictures:the trail is highlighted as blue. The recorded easement agreement assuring the perpetual use of this new trail was recorded 12/28/2005 in Book 02096 Page 2762.

Blasko Lane is a linear park that was created by the re-plat of a portion of the Farms west of Berry Ave AKA 27th Ave. The developer agreed to build a landscaped park and donated some land to make the old plat Right of Way wider. The plat ROW is still there just alongside the Martin County strip. The public has the use of the entire strip from SW Sunset Trace to SW Martin Downs Blvd. The first is the plat area. the next three show the Parkway. The last is the replat: the tiny looking strip that opens onto Sunset and Martin Downs Blvd is the old plat ROW.
Re-plat of part of Palm City Farms for high density development.The current use of the space dedicated in 1916.Aerial showing the area of the old plat right of way that was preserved as a public park and walkway.

SW BOATRAMP AVENUE TRAIL
The Naked Lady Ranch has apparently conceded the County has the authority to allow the development of this important public trail. The Trail Association is now cooperating with the County to properly develop the trail by installing crossings at hazardous ditches and clearing brush from the path.

Progress is being made on development of this 1 mile extension of the SW Boatramp Ave. trail. The pictures show the pass through installed at SW Moore St., the nearly complete culvert just north of SW Woodham St., the proposed bridge for the SW Quail Hollow ditch crossing, and the rope barricade at the runway of the Naked Lady Airport runway.


In the beginning there was a fence in the way.A section of the unpermitted fence was removed and a pass-through was installed.42 inch pipe in place and work beginning.Nearly Complete Fabric in place awaiting filling of the last few inches.Quail Hollow Ditch where bridge will be needed.A very clean design of a bridge crossing a private ditch of the same dimensions as most ditches in Palm City Farms.This design is being approved by a professional engineer so that appplications for the required Martin County permits can be completed.To mark the right of way where it crosses the runway of Naked Lady Ranch Airport a rope marker is installed.
Progress will be reported here as the Trail is prepared for an official dedication .
Click here to see pictures of the work being done to develop the SW Boatramp Ave. Trail.